Save the Date for the Association’s annual May Procession here on the shrine grounds Sunday, May 5, 2019. This year the procession will once again begin at 1:00 p.m., CT, instead of 3:30. We will process on the new Rosary Walk to the grotto where Mary will be crowned with a wreath of flowers. We hope you can join us in person for this spiritual event that acknowledges our dependence on God’s grace and Mary’s intercession. As a way to join us in our prayers, we would like for you to send us your intentions to be carried in the May Procession. For more details about the annual May Procession, read Fr. Kevin’s letter.

Christmas is fast approaching, and many of you are feeling overwhelmed by all the preparations of the season. If you are seeing a deeper encounter with Christ this Christmas, I encourage you to offer Jesus your prayers of thanksgiving. A perfect way to do this is to send me your Christmas petitions to be included in the Shrine’s Christmas Novena, December 16-24. Your intentions will be placed at our Lady’s Shrine for remembrance as we prepare for the coming of our Lord. You might also want to burn a Votive Light in thanksgiving for the blessings of the year. May our newborn Savior bless you this Christmas and may his Mother Mary watch over you and your loved ones.

In the Fall issue of the Miraculous Medal Bulletin, you will read about tax collectors, a bright pink raccoon, and missionary disciples. Fr. Charles Shelby, C.M. past Director of the Association, talks about his gratitude in being able to serve God and Mary for the past 50 years. In this issue you will also find an update on our renovation projects along with your personal invitation to attend one or both of our 2019 pilgrimages. Read the 2018 Fall Bulletin for these articles and more, and find new gifts in our 2018 Fall Gift Brochure.

In
celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of our
Vincentian charism, over 11,000 members of the International Vincentian Family
gathered in Rome on October 12 for 4 days of meetings and worship. The highlight was a Papal Audience on October
14, 2017. The Pope spoke about our
charities being born of the tenderness and compassion of St. Vincent for the
poor and marginalized. Six staff members
of the Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, were
blessed to attend this special event.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Friday, September 8. The Association of the Miraculous Medal has a beautiful tradition of remembering Mary’s birthday each year. Beginning on September 8, and lasting for eight days, an octave of prayer will be offered at our Lady’s Shrine. Send me your petitions to be remembered here at the Shrine during this special octave of prayer honoring our Blessed Mother or burn Votive Lights for family and friends. Mary loves us beyond our greatest imagination, and so as our heavenly Mother and the Mother of God, her prayer is truly miraculous. When we offer her our united petitions, Jesus hears and answers them.

On Monday, May 1, Fr. Kevin McCracken, C.M., Don Fulford, and a group of 54 pilgrims will begin the Association’s pilgrimage to Portugal and northwestern Spain. While in Portugal, the group will visit Fatima during their 100th Anniversary of our Lady appearing to the three shepherd children. Please join us in spirit and prayer on this journey of faith by sending your petitions to be remembered in Mass each day of the pilgrimage. Follow the pilgrimage itinerary and Mass schedule, and recite the prayer to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal each day of the pilgrimage. You can also follow Fr. Kevin, Don, and the other pilgrims each day of their pilgrimage on our homepage, Facebook, or Twitter. Request one of our pilgrimage souvenir gifts as part of your spiritual participation in this year’s journey.

The Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, invites you to participate in our 3rd Annual Rosary for Life. This event will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The Rosary for Life will begin at 10:00 a.m. inside the Shrine Church. After the rosary is recited two speakers will talk about the preservation of life. A banner, which will be carried by a local group in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., will be available for participants to sign. Please invite your family and friends to attend this event in which we ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for the protection of life. For more information about the Rosary for Life in Perryville, call 1-800-264-6279 and ask for Frank.